Doctor Snuggles
Encyclopedia
Doctor Snuggles is an animated television series created by Jeffrey O'Kelly about a friendly and optimistic inventor named Doctor Snuggles who has unusual adventures with his friends in a slightly psychedelic
world. The show featured fantastical scenarios which usually involved Doctor Snuggles inventing something outlandish such as a robot helper or diamond-making machine, and had a variety of supporting characters who were mostly anthropomorphic
animals.
in Japan
and DePatie-Freleng
in USA
. It was originally released as two separate English and German language versions. In the English language version the title character was narrated by veteran actor Peter Ustinov
. The show debuted in 1980, and consisted of thirteen half-hour episodes.
The show featured original artwork by Nick Price, original scripts and ideas by Jeffrey O'Kelly, and television scripts by Richard Carpenter. Two episodes (#7 and #12) were written by Douglas Adams
and John Lloyd
, both dealing with ecological issues.
In the UK the show featured as part of the Watch It! strand for children on the ITV network. In the United States, the series aired on Nickelodeon
's Nick Jr. block and in Ontario, Canada, on TVO
.
The show followed the adventures of Doctor Snuggles, a kind old gentleman who lives in a comfortable home with his elderly housekeeper, Miss Nettles. Doctor Snuggles spends most of his time inventing, and throughout the series creates a housekeeping robot, a wormmobile, a machine to restore the colours of the rainbow, a gadget to fight depression, a fire-proof lotion and a time machine, amongst other inventions. He travels by means of a talking pogo-stick/umbrella
and a spacecraft
made of wood called the Dreamy Boom Boom. Doctor Snuggles also has to deal with the malevolent powers of the crazy magician - Professor Emerald, who is his arch enemy.
Note: The Doctor Snuggles Complete DVD collection is released in Region 0 not Region 2 which is unblocked by region encoded players. However, the format is PAL
. While computer DVD software/computer players can convert PAL to an NTSC
video signal, not all store-bought players do.
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
world. The show featured fantastical scenarios which usually involved Doctor Snuggles inventing something outlandish such as a robot helper or diamond-making machine, and had a variety of supporting characters who were mostly anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
animals.
Production
The show was a co-production between British, German and Dutch producers. The animation was primarily done by two studios, TopcraftStudio Ghibli
is a Japanese animation and film studio founded in June 1985. The company's logo features the character Totoro from Hayao Miyazaki's film My Neighbor Totoro...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and DePatie-Freleng
DePatie-Freleng Enterprises
DePatie-Freleng Enterprises was a Hollywood-based animation production company, active from 1963 to 1981. They produced theatrical cartoons, animated series, commercials, title sequences and television specials. Notable among these is The Pink Panther film titles and cartoon shorts and the Dr....
in USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was originally released as two separate English and German language versions. In the English language version the title character was narrated by veteran actor Peter Ustinov
Peter Ustinov
Peter Alexander Ustinov CBE was an English actor, writer and dramatist. He was also renowned as a filmmaker, theatre and opera director, stage designer, author, screenwriter, comedian, humourist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter...
. The show debuted in 1980, and consisted of thirteen half-hour episodes.
The show featured original artwork by Nick Price, original scripts and ideas by Jeffrey O'Kelly, and television scripts by Richard Carpenter. Two episodes (#7 and #12) were written by Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
and John Lloyd
John Lloyd (writer)
John Hardress Wilfred Lloyd CBE is a British comedy writer and television producer. He is the great nephew of John Hardress Lloyd.-Early life and career:...
, both dealing with ecological issues.
In the UK the show featured as part of the Watch It! strand for children on the ITV network. In the United States, the series aired on Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
's Nick Jr. block and in Ontario, Canada, on TVO
TVOntario
TVOntario, often referred to only as TVO , is a publicly funded, educational English-language television station and media organization in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario...
.
Plot summary
- See also List of Doctor Snuggles episodes
The show followed the adventures of Doctor Snuggles, a kind old gentleman who lives in a comfortable home with his elderly housekeeper, Miss Nettles. Doctor Snuggles spends most of his time inventing, and throughout the series creates a housekeeping robot, a wormmobile, a machine to restore the colours of the rainbow, a gadget to fight depression, a fire-proof lotion and a time machine, amongst other inventions. He travels by means of a talking pogo-stick/umbrella
Umbrella
An umbrella or parasol is a canopy designed to protect against rain or sunlight. The term parasol usually refers to an item designed to protect from the sun; umbrella refers to a device more suited to protect from rain...
and a spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
made of wood called the Dreamy Boom Boom. Doctor Snuggles also has to deal with the malevolent powers of the crazy magician - Professor Emerald, who is his arch enemy.
DVD release
On July 4, 2005, Firefly Entertainment released Doctor Snuggles on DVD in Region 2. The four disc box set, entitled Doctor Snuggles - The Complete Collection, features all thirteen episodes of the series. The series has yet to be released in any other region .Note: The Doctor Snuggles Complete DVD collection is released in Region 0 not Region 2 which is unblocked by region encoded players. However, the format is PAL
PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
. While computer DVD software/computer players can convert PAL to an NTSC
NTSC
NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
video signal, not all store-bought players do.